


Tumblr Prompts

by DP_Marvel94



Category: Danny Phantom
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Clones, Gen, Identity Reveal, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Jack accidentally clones Danny, Reality Bending, Sibling Bonding
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-07
Updated: 2019-12-23
Packaged: 2020-11-27 01:48:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,870
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20940281
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DP_Marvel94/pseuds/DP_Marvel94
Summary: Filled prompts from my Tumblr @dp-marvel94Latest story: I'm so proud of you.





	1. Danny and Dani bonding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dialog prompt from @danphanwritingprompts on Tumblr. Prompt by @fiverivers
> 
> “Dani, I wasn’t able to say it before, but I really don’t like the idea of you being out there alone, traveling the world with no one to watch your back, so I’m going to tell my parents tomorrow my secret tomorrow, and, one way or another, you won’t have to.”

Dani bit her lip, eyes fixed on the floor. “You don’t have to do that.” She quickly answered.

The two were sitting on Danny’s bed. His parents were gone for the weekend at a conference. Danny put his arm around the girl. “I want to.”

“But…but what if your parents don’t take it well?”

“I think they will. They’ve warmed up to Phantom. They don’t talk about wanting to experiment on me anymore and don’t shot me on sight. Plus we’ve had a truce for a while.” He squeezed her tighter to him. “But no matter what your safety is more important than my secret.”

She looked up at him, hopefully. “Really?”

“Yeah, we’re family. I’ll always look out for you.”

The two sat in silence for a while, enjoying each other’s company until Danny broke the silence. “We should head to bed. You can take the guestroom. Mom and Dad won’t be home until tomorrow afternoon.”

Dani smiled at him.“Okay, good night Danny.”

“Good night.”

After about 15 minutes, Danielle was ready for bed, dressed in Jazz’s old pajamas after using a spare toothbrush to brush her teeth. She heard a knock on the door.

“Dani, can I come in?” Danny asked loudly.

“Come in!”

He opened the door, holding blankets in his hands. “I figured you might need these.”

“Oh thanks.”

After putting down the blankets, Danny continued standing there nervously. He rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. “Umm Danielle, just so you know. If Mom and Dad take me being Phantom well, I’m going to ask if they’ll adopt you. I mean I know we call each other cousins but I’ve really stayed thinking of you as a little sister.” He paused, while she shared at him disbelievingly. After a moment of silence, he rambled. “If you, if you don’t really feel the same way, that’s fine. Nothing has to change. But I would really like to be your older brother, I mean if you want me to be.”

Danny’s rambling was cut off by Dani running into him, nearly knocking him over. She was clinging to him like a koala and…crying?. He tensed. “Are you okay? Just forget I ever said anything.”

She then started laughing. Danny raised his eye brow. “Okay? Dani, you’re freaking me out.”

She finally replied. “Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I would love that. I love you so much.”

Danny’s heart warmed at this. He relaxed and hugged her tightly. “I love you too.” He smiled at her.

Then Dani yawned.

Pulling out of the hug, Danny laughed. “Sounds like you need some sleep, little sis.”

Dani beamed at him. “You do too, big bro.”

The older halfa smiled at the phase. He ruffled her hair (like Jazz loved doing to him). “See you in the morning. If you need anything, let me or Jazz know. Okay?”

“Okay, sleep well!”

Danny walked out of the room and closed the door. He marveled at how far they had come. When he first met Dani, he had been suspicious. Then she helped Vlad kidnap and hurt him. But after she turned against Vlad and saved him, they quickly became close. Despite how traumatic and horrible that entire cloning fiasco had been, if he had the choice, he would go through it again if it meant Danielle existed. Meeting her was actually one of the best things that had come out of him becoming half ghost. Though he was nervous about the upcoming conversation with his parents, he knew it was worth it if it meant finally giving Dani a home and family. And if his parents didn’t take it well, he’d figure it out. He’d still have Jazz, Sam, Tucker, and his new sister, Dani.


	2. Reality Gaunlet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Based on prompt from @danphanwritingprompts on Tumblr, submitted by @browa123  
“Danny learns the hard way, that even though the Reality Gauntlet is destroyed, he still has control over reality.”

Danny huddles in cave somewhere in the middle of nowhere. His breathe fogs in front of him, not from sensing a ghost but from cold. He rubs his hands together. It could be worst, he thinks soberly. At least his ice core has kept him from freezing to death. But Danny really wishes he could build a fire. His stomach growls ravenous, feeling like its eating itself from the inside. Finding food would also be nice. But he can't do either of those things, because they might find him.

It started when Danielle was captured by the GIW. They quickly and painfully discovered the existence of half ghosts and from there, it was very easy to find out about Vlad and Danny. The GIW had beaten down the door of Fentonworks, swarming the place to capture him. His friends and family, even his parents who didn’t find out he was Phantom until that disastrous moment, fought tooth and nail for him to escape. He had been running ever since.

Danny feels the tears freeze on his cheeks. He really shouldn’t dwell on it but he misses his friends and family so much and they were hurt because of him. During his last encounter with the GIW, they had boasted that Danielle had “expired” their care, saying it was too bad she was so weak, they could have learned a lot from her. But now they had and were painfully experimenting on Vlad. Then they had taunted Danny with the fate of his friends and family. His mother had been killed in the initial raid, from a gunshot to the head and his sister was in a coma from her injuries. His father and two best friends had been arrested and will never see the light of day again. The tears well again and Danny curls in on himself. It was all his fault. 

Suddenly Danny shoots up. Are ....are those dogs barking? His heart starts racing. And those...those are sirens. They had found him. Danny shakily tries to stand but his body feels like a wet noodle. There is no way he could fight. He’s so tired, tired of running, of fighting. He’s going to die. They’ll catch him right now and torture him until he dies. He’ll never see his friends and family again. Danny’s whole body is shaking. He can hear the agents outside the cave shouting. He wishes he was anywhere but here. He wishes that none of this had happened, that he was still safe at home surround by the people he loved him- his mom and dad, his sister Jazz, his friends Sam and Tucker, and his cousin ( sister?) Dani. He wishes the GIW had never existed at all. 

At some point, Danny’s eyes had closed but just then they shoot open. It is silent, no dogs, no sirens, no shouting. His eyes flicker around the cave. It’s much brighter than it was earlier. And the air is shimmering, like the air above asphalt during the summer. Except it’s cold and the shimmering is all around him. The colors are different too, all pinks and orange reflecting and warping the light coming through. It’s... it’s like he’s in a giant soap bubble and the effect is spreading....out from him? From his arm? He looks down at his right arm. Around it is a mirage, a hologram of a glove. No it’s a gauntlet, gold with four gems. Danny tries to touch it with his outer hand but just touches his skin. It’s like the image, the power is seeping up through his skin and radiating from that arm. Danny can actually feel something changing in the air around him, or maybe deeper like in the fabric of the universe itself. He blinks and everything goes white. 

* * *

Danny’s eyes shoot open and he quickly sits up. 

“Danny!” “You’re awake!” “Sweetie!”

Several voices call at once. His eyes flicker around the room. It’s Sam and Tucker! And his Dad! His eyes fall on Jazz. She’s supposed to be in a coma. And then he sees his mom. His mom who was supposed to be dead, who had died defending him. Danny practically flies into her arms and squeezes her. She strokes his hair. “It’s okay Sweetie.”

“Danny!”

The voice is that of a young girl. He keeps hugging his mom but turns to her. His mouth falls open. It’s Danielle, here, alive, and in front of his parents. She smiles at him. “I’m glad you’re okay. bro.”

Danny has no idea how to process this but with one arm pulls Dani into a group hug with his mom. With two seconds the rest join, forming a pile of limbs on the floor. Danny’ in the middle, having the life squeezed out of him but it feels so good. They’re all here, and alive, and safe. For a second, he thinks it’s a dream but this is too real to be his imagination. 

Tears are falls down his face now. Danny coughs. “I can’t breathe, guys.”

Everyone pulls away slowly and questions come pouring out of Danny’s mouth. “How are you guys here? How am I here? I thought.... the Guys in White said mom and Dani were....were.... dead. And Jazz, that you were in a coma.”

Jazz tilts her head. “Danny, who are the Guys in White?”

Danny pales and looks at his arm. The mirage, the Reality Gauntlet is gone. But it had been real. It must have been. He...he just changed reality. Ever though the Gauntlet was destroyed, he somehow used it to change the past. He wanted the GIW to never exist and so they didn’t. His family and friends are still looking at him expectantly.

He smiles, though it’s unsure. “It’s nothing important. I’ll tell you later.”

He goes to hug mother again and the cuddle pile reforms. Danny’s not stupid, he’s read comics and knows all the trope. Heck he’s been in the superheroing/ ghost hunting business long enough to know. However he managed to use the Gauntlet to fix everything, there will be consequences or a cost later. But no matter what, he has his friends and family back and he’s not losing them again.


	3. It was an accident, I swear

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Based of a Tumblr post by @ectoblood. What if one of Jack's inventions backfired and cloned Danny? What if Jack did not realize what he did at first? What if he found out his son was Phantom?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> @ectoblood on Tumblr made this post(https://ectoblood.tumblr.com/post/188458998120/imagine-how-fucking-pissed-vlad-would-be-that-jack) about what if Jack accidentally cloned Danny. This didn’t really go the direction I was expecting and veered away from the original post but I still really like it.

Jack stands in front of a box shaped metal contraption in the Fentonworks laboratory. He had been working on a contraption to extrapolate a ghost’s core and ectosignature from an ectoplasm sample. And he finally managed to get a sample of Phantom’s ectoplasm. Grinning at his achievement, he puts the sample in the machine. The screen flashes green as the box lights up. Then there’s a huge electrical surge In the lab. The lab lights flash and a high pitched beeping noise comes from the machine. Jack stares in awe as the tubing linking the box and their ghost containment unit lifts up green. Then ectoplasm flowing from the portal and through their collection system meets the green electricity coming from the box. In the unit, the ectoplasm swirls and suddenly a very surprised and confused Danny Phantom materializes into the unit. He blinks at Jack, titling his head in confusion. Then there’s a flash of light and the now naked figure drops like a sack of potatoes. 

Jack studies the seemingly passed out figure, noticing the pale skin and black hair. Face skewed in confusion, the scientist walks around the unit until he can see the figures face. Jack’s blood then runs cold as he notices- the “ghost” is the splitting image of his son. 

Now his blood boils. He’s pissed. That ectoplasmic scum Phantom shapeshifted into the image of his son. The ghost obviously plans to trick Jack or gain his sympathy. Does he really think Jack is the stupid? With ectogun raised, he enters the unit and approaches the figure. Up close the resemblance is even more striking, perfectly identical even down to the freckles on his face. Something about the image makes Jack’s heart clinch. As angry as he is, as much as he wants to shot the ghost, to tie him up and torture him for answers, he can’t not when the figure’s copying his son’s form so perfectly. 

He exits the unit and grabs a blanket from the closet to cover the figure’s naked body. As he approaches again, Jack notices something surprising. The “ghost” is breathing steadily as if asleep. He takes off his gloves and puts his hand in from of the figure’s nose. Jack’s eyes widen when he feels air blowing across his fingers. The ghost is actually breathing but ghosts don’t breathe. But maybe it’s an act to appear more human. Biting his lip, Jack decides to test something else. He gently feels the figure’s neck, searching for a pulse. His jaw drops when he finds it. He…has a heartbeat. Phantom the ghost who Jack somehow summoned and is now masquerading as his son, has a pulse and a heartbeat. But a ghost can’t fake a heartbeat, maybe they could fake breathing but never a heartbeat. 

A potentially crazy idea forms in his mind. Jack exits the unit again, grabbing a syringe and test tube. He returns, and now feeling very nervous, he gently sticks the ghost with the needle. The figure’s face screws up in discomfort but he stays sleeping. Jack sighs in relief and draws up some…..blood, bright red blood. Jack’s heart stutters as he shakes his head. It’s not blood, no it can’t be. This has to be a trick. He’ll check with the microscope and it’ll be fine.

Jack’s never been as good as Maddie with the more biological aspects of studying ghost but he does now the basics. Jack carefully sets up the slide, trying to keep his hands from shaking with nerves. Taking a deep breath, he looks into the oculars. And his heart stops. On the slide are clearly visible red and white blood cells, something that is completely impossible if the sample came from a ghost. No ghost can copy the biology of a living person, not even to the cellular level. So the person in his ghost containment unit is a human…..and not just any human, one identical to his son.

Is…is that actually his Danny in the unit? It’s the only thing that actually makes sense. But he had seen Phantom appear in the unit. And then the ghost had turned into his son. But…maybe that was some weird teleportation. Jack laughs humorlessly. Yeah that must be it. Phantom teleported out and teleported him son inside the unit. There was no way Danny actually was Phantom, right? His boy couldn’t be a ghost, couldn’t be dead. 

Trying to do anything up avoid processing what just happened, Jack turns back to the microscope. His eyes brows rise. There are large globs of ectoplasm inside the cells. That’s…that’s not possible. Then Jack turns away from the microscope, eyes focusing on the ectosignature scanner. Hands still shaking, he grabs the scanner and pointed it at the boy. It beeps after a few seconds and Jack drops it in shock after seeing the read out: a clear ectosignature though suppressed, level 7 and identical to Phantom’s.

His boy, his son, his Danny….he is Phantom. He is a ghost, his boy is dead. Tears start to prickle in his eyes at the thought. How did this even happen?! And how did he not notice?! His thoughts swirl with dread and sorrow. And then he looks up, seeing his boy still sleeping soundly. It had been an hour at least and he still hasn’t woken up. Oh god what if he hurt him with that summoning? Was that even what that had been though? He and Maddie had summoned ghosts before and it never looked like that. That had been…powerful, very powerful, like nothing he’d even seen before. And the device wasn’t supposed to summon ghosts either so what…

Jack is startled out of his thoughts by the sound of footsteps pounding down the stairs. He looks up and his jaw drops at the figure. It is the black haired, blue eyed form of Danny Fenton? His chaotically swirling mind stutters. What…how? He just stares

“Hey Dad I wanted to see what you were up to….” The figure trails off, as his eyes flicker in between the boy in the unit and the man in front of him. His jaw drops. “What the hell?!”

Jack finally shakes out of his stupor by the exclamation. He looks in between the two identical figures; he doesn’t know which is his real son but he knows one of them is at least partially human. Fear and confusion spike in his chest. He pulls out an ectogun and points at the boy who just came down the stairs. “Who the hell are you?”

The black haired figure stammers. “I’m your son.”

The inflection and facial expression are a perfect copy of his son. Doubt blooms in his mind. “Tell me something only the really Danny would know.”

The figure stares at him wide eyed. “Uhhhh when I was four, I accidently broke Mom’s vase that she got from Grandma and I cried before I thought she was going to be supper angry. But you talked to me and feed me fudge and said it was an accident and I didn’t need to be scared about you being angry that I made a mistake. And you helped me tell Mom and we went thrift shopping to find her another vase.” 

The boy stumbles to a stop out of breath, eyeing the ectogun warily. Jack’s heart unclinches after the boy’s story. That’s Danny. He just knows it. He drops the gun and steps forward, crushing the boy in a hug. Jack starts rambling in relief. “Oh Danny-boy. It’s you.” Danny relaxed a little at that. “I…I thought you were dead, a ghost. I summoned Phantom with the Fenton Ectosignature Copier and he turned into you and I checked and he was breathing and bleeding red and his heartbeating.” Danny stiffened again. ”And I thought he was you, that you were dead..or some kind of half ghost, half human hybrid.”

At the end, Danny pushed away, stumbling backwards. “You…you thought I was Phantom. That’s ridiculous.” His laugh is humorless. “And half ghost? That’s…that’s impossible…nnno… one could be half…half ghost.”

Jack’s heart dropped as Danny spoke. He sounded very scared, too scared for Jack to have been wrong. Jack looks down, speaking very quietly compared to his normal voice. “You….are Phantom, aren’t you?”

“What?! No.” Danny looks terrified.

Jack puts up his arms placatingly. “You are. That explains you being skittish around our inventions, your grades, missing curfew, skipping class.”

Danny steps back, face still fearful. “I…I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Jack’s heart clinches at seeing his son so fearful of his reaction. He puts his arms out more, trying to make himself as non-threatening as possible. He speaks quietly. “Danno, you’re my son. I love you, Phantom or not. Please, nothing will change that.” He sighs. “You don’t need to be afraid to tell me.”

Danny still looks at him skeptically. “You…you promise, you won’t be mad.”

Jack frowns at that, as himself. “Yes Danny, I promise. I’m sorry I made you think you couldn’t tell me.”

Danny relaxes and nods. He swallows, still nervous. “It’s true. I am.. I am Phantom. I’m half ghost, because of the portal. I..I wanted to tell you and Mom but..but I was scared.”

He’s starting to cry now, struggling for words. Jack puts his arms out. “Come here.” 

Danny looks at him skeptically but then walks forward. Jack envelops him in hug. The two stay like that for a few moments as Danny continues crying and Jack’s eye water. A thousand questions fill the father’s mind and soon they come pouring out his mouth. “How did this happen? Why didn’t you tell your mother and I? We could’ve helped you. And do your friends know? Do they hunt ghosts with you?”

“Dad!” Danny exclaims trying to stop the ramble.

“Have any of our inventions hurt you before? I am so sorry Danny. We’ll figure out how to keep you safe. And you’re a ghost hunter, like your old man! How did that happen?”

“Dad!” Danny exclaims again, then pointing towards the containment unit. “We can talk about that later but have more pressing issues. Who is that?”

Jack turns back towards the boy in the unit. Somehow he’d completely forgotten about him. Jack frowns surveying him. Whoever he is, his heart is telling him that he’s Jack’s son. He looks to Danny again. Somehow, both boys are.

Danny’s still waiting for a response as Jack’s brow furrows. The father responds. “I don’t know. I turned the Fenton Ectosignature Copier and it summoned Phantom.” He pointed to the other boy. “And he showed up. But….you’re Phantom so….” 

Jack turns towards the boy in the unit again, a perfect copy of his son. Wait a copy. “Maybe…he’s duplicate. Ghosts can make duplicates and Phantom definitely can.” He turns back towards Danny, eyes widening. “You can duplicate yourself! That’s amazing. I guess the machine forced you to make a duplicate. That’s… less cool.”

Danny holds out his hand, stopping him. “That…that’s not it. If he was my duplicate, I’d be able to feel him.” Jack tilts his head questioningly so Danny continues. “A duplicate is like having another limb. I can move it and feel with it, see with its eyes, hear with its ears. But I’m getting nothing from him. So THAT is not me.”

Jack and Danny both turn back towards the unit. The boy is still asleep. Jack’s mind still races with questions but nothing makes sense. It’s not like Danny has a twin brother and people don’t just suddenly appear out of nowhere. But he’s right in front of them. This kid is real and he’s half ghost like Danny is so where did he come from?!

“That bastard.” Jack’s head snaps to the side at Danny’s exclamation. He raises his eyebrow as Danny continues. “That fruitloop cloned me, again!” 

Wait, again? Before Jack can ask, Danny turns to him. “You said you were trying to summon Phantom, right? Our signature must be close enough you got him instead of me.”

Danny looks pissed but Jack’s mind is still sputtering with questions. “But it looked nothing like a normal summoning.”

Danny ignores him and walks into the unit. “I’m going to wake him up. See if we can get some answers.” He pauses over the figure. “He’s naked? Seriously?” He kneels down. “He….might be new, just out of the cloning chamber. Would explain why I haven’t meet him yet.”

Danny puts his arm on the other boy’s shoulder, shaking him. “Hey, wake up.” The boy doesn’t budge. “Come on!” 

Then Danny’s face goes blank, his eyes far away. It lasts for a few seconds and then he rips his hands away like he was burned. He then looks up at his father. His eyes are full of shock and sorrow, his voice haunted. “You…you did this.”

Jack steps back. “What?”

Danny’s eyes are watering now. “You…you did this.” He pointed accusingly at the machine Jack had put his ectoplasm into, spitting out the words. “That machine, it made him. I saw it, in his mind. He’s….he’s less than an hour old.” The hurt on Danny’s face magnifies, as he glares at his father. “You created him! You….you just clone me, here in the lab! How could you do that?” 

The clone on the floor makes a whimpering noise and Danny springs up backing away. He marches out the door, still glaring at his father. Jack’s mouth opens and shuts. His mind completely unable to process.

Jack’s speechlessness just angers Danny more. The boy’s eyes start glowing green and Jack steps back, feeling slightly afraid. 

Danny’s words come out cold and biting. “You don’t get it. This already happened once and it was the most disturbing and violating thing that ever happened to me.” He points back at the other boy, whose face wrinkled up in discomfort as he whimpers again. “That is not just my DNA, my ectoplasm.” Danny laughs humorlessly. “Did you know that ghosts that have really similar cores can share thoughts and emotions, even memories? I saw it when I touched him. That’s why he’s asleep, his mind’s trying to deal with all those memories, my memories.” The clone squirms, garbled sounds emerging from his throat. Danny’s nose wrinkles. “There’s probably a fifty percent chance when he wakes up, he’ll think he’s me.” 

The clone makes more garbled noises and Danny turns towards him and though his face softens somewhat, his face is still filled with anger. His head snaps back to his father. “When he wakes up, you can explain it to him.” 

Turning his back, Danny marches up the stairs. Jack calls after him. “Danny! Wait! I’m Sorry!” but Danny ignores him.

Jack stares off, towards where Danny left.

“Oh my God!” Jack flinches when he hears a voice behind him, Danny’s voice. “Why I am in the lab?! And why am I naked?!”

Jack turns around, finding the perfect image of Danny Fenton sitting up and staring at the blanket in his lap 

“Dad! What….how…how did I get here? What’s going on?” The ice blue eyes stare at him. 

Jack’s mind stutters. What has he done?


	4. Danny told his parents during the events of Mystery Meat.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Based on @danphanwritingprompts "As originally planned, Danny tells his parents his secret post-breakfast during the events of Mystery Meat."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: I tried to use some dialog from the episode but it's been a while and I changed some lines to make more sense or to match my style and alterations to the story. Also Sorry, not sorry.

Danny Fenton had had enough. It had been almost a month since he almost died in his parents' basement and he still had no control over his….symptoms. Random parts of his body disappearing. His utensils, pencils, even beakers at school falling through his hands. Waking up halfway through his bed or floating above it. The teenager was at his wits end. He could barely eat or sleep, constantly worrying that the other kids at school, his teachers, or even his parents would see what a freak he was. 

And the worst part, the absolute worst part was when he turned into a ghost. No, he didn't 'turn into a ghost' he just looked like one. There was no way he was a ghost, some inhuman creature that had parents hunted. No he was just...contaminated. His parents' machine had poisoned him. And if his parents had done this to him, then they could find a way to fix him.

* * *

Danny sat at the kitchen table with Jazz, silently stirring his cereal. He bit his lip, debating how to break the subject of his ghostly symptoms to his parents. While his dad was happily preparing his toast, the door to the lab opened and Danny's mom walked through holding some metallic gadget. Pulling her hood down and her goggles off, she proudly placed it on the table. "Two more days, and it's done."

At her proclamation, Dad turned around. "It's done!" 

The man scooped up the device while the other adult frown. "No Honey." 

Her correction was cut off by an electronic voice from the machine. "Welcome to the Fenton Finder." 

Dad beamed, showing off the device to the kids. "This baby uses radio waves to track ghosts!"

Danny paled. "It uses what to track what?" For some reason, he felt nervous but there was no reason to be right? (He wasn't a ghost, no. Nope, no way)

Instead of answering, Dad focused enraptured on the screen. The device beeped and the electronic voice declared. " There is a ghost in five feet."

A curious and excited look passed over Dad’s face as he studied the display. With Mom following close behind, the father walked forward following the beeping from the machine. Danny tensed as his parents approached. Without thinking, the boy scrambled out of his chair until he backed up against the wall. 

“That can’t be right.” His Dad muttered, still looking down as Danny’s mom gave the Fenton Finder a questioning look. 

Meanwhile Danny felt a surge of cold from his chest. No! Not now! Suddenly, the cold flowed through his veins as his body disappeared. Glancing down at himself, his eyes widened in fear. He held his breath, mentally begging his body to turn visible again. With a tingle, the cold receded as his body reappeared. Danny sighed in relief but then felt a surge of panic. His parents were right in front of him. What if they saw?! Sure, he was going to tell them but not like this. 

Danny then glanced up to find his parents still staring at their invention. They...hadn’t noticed? He didn’t know whether he was relieved or disappointed. No, this was a good thing. This was his chance. He gulped, gathering his courage. “ Actually...I need to tell you guys something.”

His mother finally looked up at the statement, face turning serious noticing his tone. “What is it sweetie?”

Danny bit his lip. Deciding to approach this slowly, he answered. “I’ve been having some...symptoms since the accident in the basement. I thought the stuff would go away by itself eventually but it keeps happening and I don’t know what to do.” 

His mom frowned. “Why didn’t you tell us earlier? At the hospital, they said you might have issues with your heart from being electrocuted. Are you feeling fatigued, out of breath, having an irregular heartbeat?”

Danny shook his head, somewhat surprised at her assumption. But then again, why would she think he had ghost powers because of the portal? No, not powers, symptoms. “No, what’s been happening with me has been...weirder.”

“What is it, Danno?” His dad asked, smiling comfortingly. “Whatever’s happening, you can tell us and we can take you to the doctor to figure out what’s going on.”

“No...uhhh.” The boy rubbed the back of his neck and then exhaled. “What’s happening to be has been...ghostly.” He cringed at the word as his parent’s eyebrows rose. “I...I keep turning invisible and things literally fall through my hands sometimes. And I keep waking up floating above or under my bed, like a fell through it.”

His mom tilted her head, brows furrowed in concern. “Danny sweetie, that’s…”

“Ridiculous!” Jazz who had been listening silently to the conversation before then interjected. “I can’t believe this! Your ghost obsession has polluted his mind so much, he believes it.”

Ignoring Jazz’s statement, Jack interjected. “A ghost from the portal must be messing with you, son. Everyone knows people can’t have ghost powers.”

“But!” Danny tried to argue. 

Then Jazz raised her hands. “Are you serious?! He’s probably having hallucinations. Head trauma from the accident caused by your stuff invention and the psychological damage of living with you ghost nonsense are making him see and feel things that aren’t there!”

“No! The stuff that’s happening to me is real!” The boy yelled.

“Nothing’s happening to you sweet heart.” His mother responds comfortingly. “These probably are hallucinations. Jack, have we ever tested if high ectoplasmic contamination can cause hallucinations?”

“But it’s probably a ghost messing with our boy, Mads.”

“I can’t believe you too! Ghosts aren’t real!” Jazz shook her head furiously.

“But!” Danny tried to interject again. 

As the conversation dissolved into an argument, Danny’s head started spinning. They...they weren’t listening. They didn’t believe him.

“I’m telling you! There’s a ghost messing with Danny!”

No there wasn’t. It was only his own stupid body betraying him. The boy’s hands started shaking.

“He’s fallen for your stupid obsession! Or he’s using to actually get your attention for once!”

“What’s that supposed to mean young lady?” 

The three started at argue furiously, ignoring the teenager as his panic quickly increased. They didn’t believe him. They weren’t going to help him and now they were mad. 

“You two are always down there with that stupid portal thing! And won’t pay any attention to us. No wonder Danny’s doing this! Thinking you’ll maybe pay attention if it has something to do with ghosts!”

Ghost, ghost. It was always about stupid ghost. And now he was one. No, now he wasn’t a ghost. He wasn’t. Ironically he wanted to disappear, to sink through the floor, hide in the darkest corner, fly until he was miles away. Panting breath exited Danny’s mouth. Was...was he falling? 

With a startled yell, Danny found himself phased halfway into the floor.

And then, the eyes of his parents and sister fell on him, their jaws dropping as they took in the wavering transparency of his lower half and his legs phased into the floor.

Choking out a sob, Danny cried. “Help me! Please! Make it stop!”

* * *

Needless to say, seeing Danny phased through the floor quickly convinced everyone, even Jazz that what was happening to him was very much real. And after an initial freak out (and once Jack realized there was no ghost invisibility following his son and using its powers on him), both parents reacted fairly well.

"Can you guys figure out how to cure me?" Danny asked his parents after a lengthy discussion about what had been happening to him since the accident(that is minus one little, tiny, in no way significant detail).

The two parents looked between themselves, worriedly. Then Danny's mom comfortingly took his hand. "I promise your father and I will try our hardest to figured out how this is happening to you and to make it stop."

"We'll figure this out Danny-boy." His father gave him a comforting smile.

The boy nodded. "Thanks Mom and Dad."

Glancing at the clock, Mom stated. "School's already started. Jazz, I'll write you a note explaining why you're late. And Danny, you're staying home so we can get some blood and hair samples from you and start figuring out how to get rid of your… symptoms." At seeing how Danny wrung his hands nervously at the thought of having his blood drawn, she continued gently. "I promise we'll be gentle Danny. We wouldn’t do anything you aren't comfortable with."

So then Jazz headed to school while Danny stayed at home with his parents. 

* * *

Three days later, after a day of having samples taken and helping in the lab, and two long days of waiting for his parents to finish their invention, Danny stood in the lab nervously studying a silver and neon green dream catcher.

"This is the Fenton Ghost Catcher." Dad proudly proclaimed. 

Danny's frown deepened as his mom shook her head. "It's not designed to catch ghosts per say, though it could do that. It expunges ectoplasmic contamination." At Danny's confused and slightly nervous look, she clarified. "You have a lot ectoplasm in your body, much higher than normal, even compared to your father and I who work with ectoplasm constantly. And that's what was causing your symptoms." She motioned to the device. "The 'mesh' is a grid of ectoplasm repellent material which normal matter passes through harmlessly. It will draw the ectoplasm out of you."

"And no ectoplasm means no symptoms?" Danny asked tentatively.

"Yes, son. You'll be right as rain in no time." His dad replied confidently.

“And you're sure it will work?” Danny asked, wringing his hands.

Dad answered proudly. “Of course. It will.” 

His mom smiled at him. “We tested it on the samples you gave us. Between that, what you told us, and the other data we collected, your father and I are sure it will work and with no side effects. So there’s nothing to worry about. We thought of everything.”

The boy focused on the device again, the worry still worming through his gut. Part of him still doubted this would work. It couldn’t be that easy, right? Just go through the Ghost Catcher, and bam, back to normal like nothing ever happened. Could it really purge him of the ghostliness haunting him with no other effects? Especially when he hadn’t told them everything.

Guilt knotted in the boy’s gut. He hadn’t told his parents about his...other appearance, about how he could turn into a ghost. He didn’t want them to see him like that, to really see the monster, the freak he was. They would never look at him the same, even if the invention worked and that other appearance was gone. Plus they didn’t need to see it, right? They had managed to figure out how to fix him anyway. And his freaky other form would be gone soon so they would never have to know.

Danny shook his head, trying to clear the thought. But he still didn’t really confident."It's not going to hurt, right?" 

"Of course not!...Probably." Dad answered unhelpfully.

The teenager paled. “Probably?!”

“Jack!” At the same time, the woman rebuked the other scientist and then put her arm around her son. “Sweetie, everything is going to be fine. It’s not going to hurt and everything will be back to normal before you know it.” Mom then stepped away. “Are you ready, sweetie?”

Walking forward, Danny held his arm in front of him until his palm sat inches from the mess. As he approached, he felt the cold flitter into him chest, the energy swirling through his veins. It almost felt like it was..trying to get away? Like it was repulsed by the mesh. The feeling sent dread through his chest. It felt...wrong. He froze, part of him wanting to get as far away from the device as possible. Did...did he still want to do this? The thought that something would go wrong if he did trickled through his mind.

“Are you alright, son?”

Was he...was he alright? Danny turned to his now worried looking parents, his own brow furrowed in confusion. What had he just been doing? Of course, he wanted to do this!

“Yeah, let’s get this over with.”

With a nod, his Dad picked up the Ghost Catcher. “I’m just going to pass this over you and that will be it.”

Danny braced himself. One last thought- of how he’d finally be normal again, like he wanted- 

pass through his mind before burn, splitting pain and everything went white.

* * *

The boy’s eyes blinked open as he heard something hit the floor.

“Ghost!” The large, orange clad man bellowed. The smaller, blue clad woman heaved a large silver and green device, pointing it at the figure as her shocked expression turned to anger.

Damage! The boy’s mind screamed at the action. Without another thought, he fled hearing one of the adults yell something, a name, before he passed up through the ceiling. Flying without thought of where he was going, the boy suddenly stopped, finding himself floating above what looked like a park, the playground and nearby woods abandoned and barely lit.

Wait! Floating! How was he floating?! He looked down at himself, his eyes focusing on his white gloves. He hadn’t been wearing gloves earlier, had he? Yeah, he’d been wearing his favorite shirt and jeans, but now he was in a black and white suit...like the ones the two adults from earlier had been wearing.

Mom and Dad, the information drifted across his mind. His parents! How had he forgotten that? But they’d yelled at him. Mom had pointed a gun at him as he left. Why...why would they do that? And….they’d shouted a name as he flew away. Danny, that’s what they had said. That was his name, Danny! And he’d forgotten that too!

But…. Mom and Dad hadn’t been directing the name at him but at something behind him. He hadn’t seen it before he flew away. Danny quickly spun around, mouth falling open. He was still floating, still flying. How was he doing this?! 

And then he remembered, earlier. Before the pain, before he ran. He remembered seeing himself in the bathroom mirror, glowing with a black and white suit on…. And floating like he was now. A few strands of white hair entered his peripheral vision. White, like in the mirror before. He had thought he was a ghost back then, earlier, but he’d turned back into himself. All he needed to do was find the spark of warmth in his chest, near where his heart beat. 

Danny mentally searched ...and there was nothing. There was nothing!? No warmth, no heartbeat, and...and he wasn’t breathing. When had he stopped breathing?! He felt from the warm again, mentally prodding his chest. No! No NO! Where was it?! 

A white ring of light formed around his waist. Yes! Earlier, that had happened before he turned back into himself. But ...the light fizzled out. He tried again but it fizzled out. A third time, and nothing! 

No! No NO! This was not happening! It couldn’t...he wasn’t...No. 

_ I’m a ghost. _ The thought passed through his mind softly, slowly, quietly. Danny shook his head, denying it. But he knew it was true. Like how he knew his name was Danny, it was just...there.

He was a ghost, a real, proper, actually ghost. Meaning….he was dead. He’d died. His..his parent’s machine, it had killed him, completely this time. He was dead, a freak. His own parents hadn’t recognized him. They hated him and now he couldn’t go home.

At the thought, the ghost (because there was no denying what he was, not any more) wept. 

* * *

“Danny!”

The boy’s eyes blinked open. Why...was he on the floor of the lab? He squinted at the bright lights. And why did his head hurt?

“Danny! Can you hear me?! Say something sweetie!”

His eyes finally focused on the figure in front of him. Red hair, a blue jumpsuit, his mom. The boy reached out hand up to rub his head. “Ow”

At the muttered word, his mom’s eyes lit up as she threw her arms around him. “I’m so sorry baby! Are you okay?”

Danny hugged her back, nose wrinkled in confusion. “What happened? I remember walking down into the lab and then…” He trailed off.

His mom’s own brow furrowed in confusion but she remained silent. Danny’s eyes then focused on his dad, who mouth was pinched shut in anger. “That ghost tricked us!”

Danny paled. What...how? Did they find out? “What...what ghost?”

Obviously gauging his reaction as fear of the ‘ghost’ and not nervousness of his parent’s discovery, his mom rubbed his back. “It’s okay, Danny. We wouldn’t let it get you again.”

Danny gaped. “What?”

“You were being overshadowed the whole time!” His father exclaimed. “The stupid ghost was using you as a meat puppet! Probably since the accident!”

“Uhhh...overshadowing? Meat puppet?...what...what are you talking about?” Danny stuttered.

His mom frowned and then her eyes widened in realization. “Of course you don’t remember. Overshadowing is when a ghost...takes over someone’s body. The victim can’t control what they do and doesn’t remember what happened to them.” She then paled. “Oh, Danny. That ghost, it had you for a month. A month and we didn’t notice! And you probably don’t remember much since the accident, do you?”

Danny stared at her. Did he remember? His mind swirled with the onslaught of information. The boy shook his head. At the same time, his dad kneeled down beside his mom. “We are so proud of you son.” He smiled gently. “You managed to break free long enough to tell us what was happening. Said you were having weird, ghostly symptoms but I guess the ghost wouldn’t let you tell us the true, huhhh?”

That...didn’t sound right. “I don't ...uhhh….that’s...I don’t remember.”

His mom put her hand on his arm. “It’s alright baby. You don’t have to talk. You’ve been through a lot. Let’s make sure you’re not hurt and get you to bed, okay?”

Danny nodded again as his parents gently helped him up. They quickly checked him for injuries while Danny furiously tried to remember what happened. He remembered telling his parents about his symptoms and getting them to cure him. He remembered staring at the Ghost Catcher, horrible pain. And then he woke up on the floor. Huh, so much for it not hurting. 

“Come on, sweetie.” His mom lead him up the stairs. “Get some sleep. We will talk about everything in the morning.”

Robotically, Danny laid down on his bed. As the door closed, he heard his parents urgently chatting behind the door, a few words drifting through the door. 

“Capture...ghosts ...Make...pay...that monster…” “How...Jack...danger...protect...kids?”

He stared at the ceiling, mind spinning. Mom and Dad said he shouldn’t remember what happened while he was overshadowed...but he did for some reason. And he hadn’t felt like someone else was controlling his actions. So then why did his parents think they saw a ghost? What all did this mean?

Danny also absently noted that the cold that had lodged itself in his chest for the past month was gone. He mentally prodded the area, but nothing. He even tried to trigger the weird symptoms but nothing happened. If fact, he hadn’t turned invisible or intangible since he woke up in the lab. And instead of feeling happy or relieved, he felt...sad. A tiny ball of dread lodged itself in his gut. He...he missed whatever he had felt before. It was like...something was missing. Suddenly, a sob escaped his lips. He...he was crying. Why? Another sob passed and tears started streaming. Why...why did he suddenly feel devastated, like his life fell apart? He wanted to go home. But…. he was home. What? 

Trying to quiet the sobs, Danny cried himself to sleep.

* * *

At some point, Danny the ghost cried himself dry. He focused on his shaking hands. How did this happen to him? Why….why did he go in that stupid portal?! Why didn’t his parent’s stupid ghost catcher not work? It was supposed to cure him! Not turn him into a ghost permanently! He was supposed to be a normal human boy, not this...this freak, this monster. He wasn’t supposed to be a ghost! He was supposed to be normal. He wasn’t supposed to be dead!!

Danny shook his head. Dead, he was dead. And...somewhere at home was his body. Where his parents crying over it right now, thinking he was gone? Were they mourning him? Would his sister find out after she got back from the library, his friends tomorrow? Oh god, his life was over. He’d never get to say goodbye, never get to go on his first date or have his first kiss. He’d never graduate. Never get a job, or get married. Or have kids. He’d never get to grow up.

But...but he didn’t feel dead. No he couldn’t be dead. He didn’t feel all the different from normal. He...he needed to see it, his body. If he saw himself, laying at home dead, then maybe he could figure this out, figure out what to do next. Maybe he could move on.

So the ghost flew across town until he came to Fentonworks, his home. He bit his lip, terrified of what he would find and how his parents might react if they saw him. His whole body shook as he approached. 

Then he paused, outside his window. He sensed ...something, coming from his room. Danny phased through the window and froze, eyes widening. There in his bed was...himself, his body. Had...had Mom and Dad just left his….his corpse up here, in his room? He frowned. He...it looked so peaceful like he...it was asleep. Danny floated forwards until he was a foot away. He heard something. Was...was that breath? He focused on the body’s chest. It was rising and falling, like breathing in sleep. The ghost leaned closer. And he could hear a steady heartbeat in the chest.

He...he was alive. How?! How was his body alive? Was he in a coma or something? And this was some kind of out of body experience? Yeah, yes! That was it. Incredible joy flowed through Danny. He wasn’t too late! He had a chance, he could grow up, be human, normal. The ghost floated directly over his body. But how did he get back in...there, where he belonged?

And then the body’s eyes opened and it shot up into a sitting position. Startled, the ghost turned invisible and intangible, backing away. Then joy turned to horror.

“Hello? Is someone there?” It, the body, spoke. The head turned from side to side, intelligent eyes searching the room. “Hello?” Came a last whisper before the body laid back down and fell instantly asleep.

Danny the ghost shook in fear as he fled again. Oh, god. There was someone in his body. And it wasn’t him! There was someone in his bed, his house! How...how. Terror surged through the ghost. His chest heaved though he didn’t need to breathe. No! No! NO! What was hell was that? What the freaking, hell, oh god! His mind spilled every curse he knew and then some. 

He stopped in the park again, crashing into a tree. Doubling over, the ghost felt like he was going to throw up but nothing came up. He...he couldn’t even feel his stomach heaving. 

Impostor! There was an impostor in his bed! His mind raced and then crashed to a halt.

Wait...wait...wait...wait...wait.

How...how was someone, not him in his body? It...it wasn’t a ghost. He knew that instinctively. So what...who? 

Then a horrible, awful, terrifying, horrifying thought entered his mind.

Danny...Danny Fenton was in his bed at home. That...that wasn’t his body. He...he was the impostor. The ghost was the impostor, not the boy in bed. Mom and Dad ...the Fentons said ghosts were evil. They were tricky, sneaky, selfish. They only looked out for themselves, confusing and distressing the living. And could even trick and confuse themselves.

And Danny...no...the ghost…the phantom...he was an impostor, he...wasn’t real, a confused post human consciousness imprinted in ectoplasm (that’s what Mom...Maddie always said, right?)

If Danny Fenton was asleep in his bed, then who (or what) was Phantom?

  
  



	5. If Dan Phantom Overshadowed Human Danny in TUE

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Based on @dphcs on Tumblr "After Dan Phantom became what he was, he overshadowed Danny instead of killing him. But turned back and stayed in his ghost form, keeping his human half the same age for ten years, which is why, in ‘The Ultimate Enemy’ he fooled everyone by going back to being human."

Danny Fenton dreams of a world where his friends and family are still alive. But he doesn’t know that. He lives at home in Amity Park and everything is perfect. He goes to school, hangs out with his friends, goes on vacation with his family, annoys his sister, and listens to his parents rant about their work on the Fenton Portal. It's like it was before the accident, no ghost powers, no ghosts. Just a normal, human life. And for years, Danny is happy.

That is until he starts to realize something is wrong. Time’s not passing as it should. Why is it still August? And shouldn’t his birthday already come? And then there’s the nightmares, weird flashes of memory - seeing his friends and family die in an explosion, buildings crumbling and on fire, screaming and crying people, or fighting a red clad woman on a hoverboard. He doesn't know it, but he's trying to wake up.

And Danny does wake up, during a fight with the woman. Horrified by the destruction around him and how brutally he's hurting her, Danny mentally screams at his body to stop but he has no control. His limbs move without his permission, straggling the Huntress. Then his arms release.

"I'll deal with you later, Valerie." Danny hears his own voice say, though he didn't command his vocal cords to say that.

Then he's moving, flying away. Danny hears an ominous chuckle in his head and then he feels like he's being pushed underwater. Everything goes black and he's back in his bedroom in Amity Park. And then Danny forgets.

But what just happened doesn't stay forgotten. Over and over again, Danny rises to the surface. Over and over again, he's horrified by the images he sees, by what his hands are doing. Everytime he mentally begs his body to stop. He screams and pushes. And the other voice, the one that chuckled earlier just laughs at his distress.

Until, one time, Danny does gain control. He's floating above a little girl who weeps in terror. His hand is raised, lit with green fire and aimed at the girl. He wrestles control his hand away and the shot goes wide, away from the child. Then his body collapses onto the ground. And Danny feels his mental self being dragged deeper and deeper back into his mind, past happy dreams he's normally caught in and to a dark, deep mental place. Danny feels that he's just a scrap of consciousness here, with no physical awareness of what his body is doing. So he fights, mentally pounding against the walls of his tiny mental cage all the while screaming.

Then another voice echoes through the space. "I've had enough of you." It sounds like Danny's own voice but slightly deeper, older.

Danny turns to find the speaker. And it's....him. but not him. The ghost looks like a grotesque, twisted version of Danny Phantom, though a few years older than Danny remembers being. Blood red eyes, corpse blue skin, flaming white hair, fangs. His ghost half, Danny thinks as he remembers. He's half ghost, or he should be.

The ghost continues, cutting of Danny's thoughts. "I've tried to be kind. Let you live in a pleasant dream while I perform my work." He stalked forward until he's in Danny's face. He sneers. "But you keep interfering. So, you will be staying here."

Danny swallows fearfully. "Where is here?"

"The subconscious. You're so deep, you'll never so the light of day again." The ghost turns away. "Maybe if you behave, I'll let you return to your dream."

Danny blinks and the ghost is gone. His fear is replaced by disgust. He feels sick. How.. what happened to his ghost half? He briefly searches his memories but can't remember how this happened, how his other half turned into this... monster, abomination, this horrible corrupted thing. No, that isn't his ghost half. Whatever that thing is it may have been born from a part of Danny. But IT IS NOT DANNY.

The human then continues fighting, pounding at the mental walls. He needs to escape, to get his life, his body back. But after what could be ten seconds or ten years, nothing works. So Danny tries to remember what happened, sifting through his memories of before all....this. And Danny finds something interesting. The space he's in isn't his own subconscious or even the monster's. It's something in between, a communal space. And here he can see the ghost's memories too, as if they were his own. Danny searches, seeing images of the carnage the ghost has produced, all the fights with Valerie and his old ghostly enemies. He searches back farther seeing the death of his own family and friends. He sees going to live with Vlad. And it wrecks him, all of it. They are gone and never coming back. No wonder his ghost half went crazy. He curls up and cries.

And then Danny feels something brushing up against him in the darkness and without searching for them, more images come to his mind.

Vlad knocking him out and drugging him. The man is cackling like a mad man about making the pain go away. He adorns his hands with wicked looking gauntlets and plunges the gloves into Danny's abdomen. While human Danny is asleep, ghost Danny is awake. He writhes in agony, clinging to his other half. No, no! He doesn't want this! He doesn't want to be separated! But he's pulled out of himself anyway. Ghost Danny pulls the claws out of his stomach. But then Vlad transforms, pouncing on him. In pain, Danny blindly lashes out with the gauntlets in his hands. He hears a thud and opens his eyes, staring in horror as he realizes he just split Vlad like Vlad did to him. He drops the gloves in shock, stammering an apology. But before Danny can act, Plasmius leaps at him. His red eyes blaze with fury as the ghost dives inside his chest. Danny feels the mental onslaught as Plasmius tries to dominate him, rip him apart, destroy him from the inside and absorb his power. His mind and body are on fire. It hurts so much! He's mentally coming apart, fragmenting. What's...what's happening? Why? Why does it hurt?! Then everything goes white.

Back in the subconscious, the human Danny weeps as a final image, an image he’s suppressed for far too long, flashes across his mind. The newly transformed ghost loaming over the human Danny. The monster dives into his chest, overshadowing him. No...trying to absorb him, to sequester his body for later use. The monster mentaly lashes out at him, trying to destroy him mind. But it can’t. It wants a still living body, which needs a still living human mind. So the ghost pushes Danny deep within himself, forcing him to sleep and dream.

In the mental space, Danny continues to weep, hopelessly. He was right earlier. That monster isn’t his ghost half. It’s Plasmuis using his image, his powers. Danny’s ghost half, the other half of his soul, the real Phantom, is gone. Plasmius destroyed him, tearing him apart from the inside. And now Danny was alone, half a person without his powers and tortures by a monster wearing his face that he’s much too weak to fight.

The human then feels something brushes up against him again, something cold. Danny tenses, praying the monster hasn’t returned. The cold thing brushes him again and Danny wrinkles his eyebrows in confusion. It’s small, absolutely tiny, and cold. Something neon green flashes in the darkness. Danny then sits up, still so confused, as he realized something. The memory, from earlier, where had it come from? He had been unconscious when it happened…..and it had been from the perspective of his ghost self. But Phantom was gone. The cold thing brushes him again and a very faint feeling of comfort, affection even comes through the contact. Danny’s eyes widen as the tiny neon green light flashes in front of his eyes again. He brushes the light with his hand and an image of looking at himself in ghost form in the mirror flashes through his mind. 

And then Danny knows, he knows what..no who this is. Tears well. Phantom, his ghost self, the other half of him isn’t gone. He’s here. Danny mentally scans the darkness of the subconscious, felting more coldness, more sparkles, fragments of memories and emotions. Plasmius didn’t destroy his ghost half. He had torn him apart, fragmented him. But the pieces, the fragments are still there. But ...something that’s been destroyed can be reformed, if you can find all of the pieces and know how to reassemble them. 

Before Danny can think about that, the green light blinks out. Red eyes lit in the darkness and he heard a sinister laugh.

“Are you behaving, my dear human half?”

Danny bares his teeth. “You aren’t my ghost half.”

The ghost tilts his head. “Of course I am.” He smiles, too white teeth shining. “I’m Danny Phantom.”

“No you’re not.” Danny growls. “You’re Plasmius. You destroyed the real Phantom. Now you’re just using his form!”

The monster frowns. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Yes I do! You’re not him!” The human shouts. Then he sees neon green light swirling behind the ghost and one eyebrow raises. “But…” He points at the ghost’s chest, very deliberately.. “He’s still here. Isn’t he?”

The ghost’s red eyes briefly flash green before returning to red. One hand goes to his head and the ghost growls. “No. You were right before. Phantom’s gone and you’re all alone.” 

Then the ghost disappeared. But for the first time in ...Danny actually has no idea how long….he smiles. Danny knows he is right. Phantom, his other half is still here, fragments of him in the subconscious and the consciousness of the ghost imprisoning him. And if anyone can bring him back, Danny can. Because at some level, Danny is still Phantom. Before all this, he, the human Danny, was just as much a part of Phantom as Phantom was of him. And that’s still true. All he needs to do is find those other parts of his soul and draw them together. 

Danny mentally stretches out, feeling for the swirling bits of memories and consciousness that belong to himself. He smiles, sensing the now obvious parts. Sparkes of green and white light flash and swirl aimlessly with no direction. But not for long. With a consciousness now reaching out to direct them, the pieces coalesce, drawn together like pieces of asteroid drawn together by gravity to form a planet. And Danny is the center of gravity.

Soon a golf ball sized ball of light coalesces in Danny’s hands. The human cries with joy. It’s parts of his ghost self, part of his soul. There’s no consciousness yet. But there will be. 

So Danny keeps going, joyfully watching the light grow and grow over an unknown amount of time. He debates re-fusing with his still forming ghost half but decides to wait until he’s back fully. He and Phantom has been split when Plasmius shredded him so Danny think waiting would be best.

Hiding what he’s doing from the monster is difficult. But the ghost seems...different since Danny’s confrontation with him. He seems distracted, mentally and emotionally unstable. His eyes turn green sporadically, the flickering of his hair quieting. It’s almost like ...the more conscious parts of Phantom are also fighting.

And so the monster makes a mistake (or is it?). He hadn’t let Danny anywhere near the surface of consciousness for week but one day practically drags the human to the surface. It’s disorienting. For the last few weeks, Danny had been trapped in the dark recesses of his mind then suddenly he sees light, looking out of his eyes as if a visitor in his own body. A beaten and tied-up Valerie sits in front of him.

_ What did you do? Why am I here?!  _ Danny demands of the ghost.

_ You think you can spit me?! I know what you’re doing. I am going to make you watch as I torture her! And then you’ll see how much of a monster we are! _ The crazed answer came. 

_ I’m not you! This is crazy! _

The ghost ignores him as he floated down. Danny feels his arm slap the woman awake. “Wake up Valerie, dear.” The ghost’s voice says. 

The woman startles awake. “Let me go!”

The ghost chuckles. “I’m afraid I can’t do that. Besides, I have something important to show you.”

“That’s why you kidnapped me!” She snaps.

“I couldn’t have use interrupted, now could I? Can’t have anyone else learn this little secret.” The ghost floats in front of her, stroking her face. “I’ve waited a long time to show you this Valerie. But it’s time you knew the truth, who I really am.” 

If Danny could he would pale, understanding the ghost’s meaning.  _ NO! Don’t you dare! _

At the same time, Valerie yells. “What kind of bullshit are you on now?”

The ghost mentally smirks at the human but continues addressing the hunteress. “I went to Casper High. Did you know that? We were in the same class but you never paid attention to me except when we had the stupid flour sack project.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” She demands.

The ghost rolls his eyes. “We worked on a health class project together. It’s really not that complicated.”

“No. I worked on the project with Danny Fenton, who ditched me with the sack and then you and me go captured by Skuller.” 

The ghost scoffs. “Danny Fenton, Danny Phantom. You never noticed the resemblance?” Valerie just stares as the ghost continues. “I’ll just show you then.”

_ What are you doing?!  _ Ignoring the distressed yell, the ghost touches down and summons a white figure of light. Danny can barely see it out of the ghost’s peripheral vision but feels it pass over him. 

Then with a start, Danny the human feels himself being thrown forward. His knees crumple and he falls on his hands. Wait...he can feel that. He feels his hands touching the ground, the sensation much more vivid and real than before. And...he feels his heart beating out of his chest. Danny slowly moves his hand over the organ; he hadn’t realized how much he missed the sensation. And….he...he moved his hand. Danny moves the fingers again with no resistance. He, Danny, is in control. He exhales, mentally searching for the presence of the ghost but by some miracle, Danny can’t feel him. 

“Danny?” Finally remembering he’s not alone, Danny looks up.

“Valerie?” He breathes. He stands up, staring at him.

Her mouth opens and closes, speechless. Finally she shakes her head. “No this is a trick.”

He walked forward. “No, it’s me. Valerie, it’s Danny.”

“No! NO! You’re just Phantom! Mr. Masters told me you killed Danny. You’re just tricking me!” His eyes widen as the woman starts trembling. With barely a thought, he nettle down and starting trying to untie her bond. “What...what are you doing?”

“Letting you go.” He struggles with the ropes. “I don’t know how long I have until...Phantom tries to take control of me again.” He stumbles over the word, not wanting Valerie to think that his own ghost half is controlling him but not knowing how else to explain.

“So. Phantom’s been possessing you?” He nods. “Then...why do you still look 14?”

He pauses looking down at his hands. They are definitely smaller than they had been while in ghost form. “Ummmm” And his voice is young and high, like a young teenagers. “I think it’s the possession. The ghost hasn’t used my human form since….it started possessing me. So I haven’t aged.”

“I still don’t believe you.” She responds crossly. 

He continues untying her once all the ropes are off, she stands. The boy notices with a start that she’s taller than him. Sighing, he holds out his arm. “Check my pulse. Ghosts can’t fake a heartbeat.”

Warily, she feels the wrist and her eyes lit up. “It...it’s there.”

Just then, as she touches him, Danny hears an angry growl in his head. He pales. “You need to run.”

“What?” The huntress steps back and upholsters her weapon, dangerously.

“The ghost possessing me!” He clutches head. “He’s still here. You need to get away from me!”

An unintelligible yell sounds in his head as he feels the ghost struggling to over take him. 

“What about you?” The woman asks desperately. 

“Don’t worry about me! He needs me alive!” Danny backs away, feeling his fist ball without his permission. He stares in horror as the fist lits with a green ectoblast. “Please! I don’t want to hurt you!”

The shoot goes off but Danny manages to move his arm so it doesn’t hit her. The ghost in his head screams in rage.

“I’ll figure out how to save you! I promise!” Valerie yells as she turns and runs, too injured to fight an enraged ghost.

Then with another yell from the ghost, Danny’s body crumples onto the ground as his consciousness is thrown back into the dark subconscious. 

The human comes back to awareness to the monster hovering over him. “I am in control! Not you!” The ghost slaps him. 

Then out of nowhere, the small ball of light that is Danny’s forming ghost self slams into the ghost, knocking him away. The human Danny shoot up, slamming into the ghost also. He punches him. “This is my body! My mind!” 

He feels the still reforming Phantom hum in agreement. Then the little ball of light slams into Danny’s chest, phasing inside of him. With a start, he feels his eyes glow green as the ectoplasmic energy flows through his veins.  _ We need to pull the rest of us out of him.  _ Phantom’s thought brushes the human Danny’s mind. He instantly agrees, feeling the line between him- the human Danny- and his ghost self blur and then disappear. Danny feels...more than before, greater, better, more complete. He hadn’t even realized how empty he had felt before.

Danny then grabs the monster’s arm and mentally pulls, drawing on the feeling of overshadowing to search for and draw out the parts of the ghost that were once parts of him. He pins the ghost on the ground with his knees as he wraiths, screaming. Memories, emotions, and power surge into Danny and it burns, like the accident all over again. But on some level, it feels good, right, the pieces of his soul coming back together. Under him, the ghost kicks and screams, mentally trying to hold on to that power. But he doesn’t stand a chance, his body smoking.

Then with a flash of neon green and white light, it’s done. Danny Fenton-Phantom, Danny the halfa, his whole, complete self, growls at a pathetic looking Plasmius. “Get out of my body!”


	6. I'm so proud of you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> From @danphanwritingprompts on Tumblr

The statement stabbed through Danny's heart as his mom smiled at him. His eyes widened as he uttered a whisper, voice a mixture of hurt and offense. "What?!"

Mom's eye brows drew together, as she looked up from the new ectogun she was working on. "I'm so proud of you, sweetie. That you've stayed true to yourself. " She ruffled his hair in an attempt at a motherly gesture, though to Danny it felt forced and awkward.

"Why won't I?" The words came pouring out of his mouth before he could stop them. "Stay...me, that is?"

Mom froze, biting her lip. After a moment she spoke, voice quiet and unsure. " You know how ghosts are." He narrowed his eyes at her and the woman backtracked. " Not you of course. You're not like most. You haven't turned malevolent, haven't turned feral, haven't hurt anyone, haven't damaged too much property."

Danny’s mouth fell open at the stinging words. “That....that’s not....ghost’s aren’t always evil.”

“Of course not.” She sighed, rolling her eyes as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Then she paused. “But.... an exception does make the rule.”

Danny’s nostrils flared at the accusation. “Ghost’s aren’t just evil by default!” He shook his head, eyes flashing with ghostly light and hands balled into fists. “I’m...I’m not evil. I’d...I’d never turn evil.”

Mom’s eyes widened, one hand held in front of her as the other hovered over her ectogun. Whether to placate him or protect herself, he did not know. “No you wouldn’t. Whatever you’ve been doing to keep hold of your humanity, it’s working and your father and I will make sure you don’t lose that humanity”

Humanity. At the word, the image of red eyes, fangs, and flaming hair flashed through his mind. His now trembling hands uncurled. “I'm ...I'm not...I’m not evil. I’d never ...I'd never hurt anyone.”

“Of course not.” She reached forward and hugged him with one arm, the gesture too tight, too stiff. Her eyes feel on the weapon on the table. “I would never let that happen.” 


End file.
